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Horizon Waste
buys Hawaii
units of BFI

The buyer says the 140 employees
won't be affected by the change

Star-Bulletin staff

Horizon Waste Services Inc., a company formed a year ago by former executives of waste management company Browning-Ferris Industries Inc., has acquired the Hawaii operations of BFI.

The seller of Browning-Ferris Industries of Hawaii Inc. is BFI-parent Allied Waste Industries Inc.

Southern California-based Horizon also said today that the purchase includes BFI unit Maui Disposal Co.

Purchase prices for both deals were not disclosed.

Horizon said the 140 Hawaii employees -- 88 on Oahu and 52 on Maui -- will not be affected by the ownership change.

The name of the Oahu operations will change to Horizon Waste Services of Hawaii Inc., but Maui Disposal will keep its name.

Michael O'Brien, Northwest Florida division president of BFI subsidiary Waste Management Inc., was named to run the Oahu business as Horizon district vice president. Kika Bukoski, vice president of Maui Disposal, will run the Maui operations.

The Hawaii operations include the former BFI facility of 3.9 acres at Barbers Point and the 1.3-acre Maui Disposal site in Wailuku.

BFI became Oahu's biggest commercial trash hauler with the February 1998 acquisition of the Hawaii operations of rival Waste Management.

Horizon Waste was started by Mike Koep, Gary Koontz and Gerry Perissi who left BFI after it was taken over by Scottsdale, Ariz.-based Allied Waste in March 1999.

Horizon also has operations in Arizona and California.